Leather Jacket
by storeytime14
Summary: This is an exchange between Archie and Finn after the breakup in Series 2 Episode 2! Hope you like it!


Finn couldn't stand being outside anymore. He didn't even know how long he had stood there, clutching the jacket she practically threw at him to his chest. He carried himself inside and blindly dialed Archie's telephone number. When Archie picked up he barely managed to choke out, "Arch," before he fell to the floor in a broken heap. All Archie could make out through his sobs were, "Rae" and "friends." He tried to calm Finn down over the phone but knew it was no good. He told Finn he'd be there as soon as could and bolted out the door, sprinting the long mile to his mate's house.

When he arrived at the Nelson house, he found the front door ajar and his best friend sitting in the hall way, sobbing into his leather jacket. It still smelled of her lavender-vanilla shampoo which only made him cry harder.

_Oh, shit_.

As Archie sat next to his friend, he was greeted not with Finn's usual warm chocolate irises, but with red raw puff balls and a hoarse voice.

"She broke up with me…" Finn choked and fell into his friend's lap.

"Oh, mate," was all Archie could think to say as Finn continued to sob even harder.

In their 10 years of friendship, Archie had never seen Finn this heartbroken. Even when his mom moved to Spain with her new partner, Finn held it all inside. Never once showed the world how it affected him, even though Archie knew it was eating him alive inside. In the months following his mom leaving, Finn spent a lot nights at Archie's house. The two would always be caught playing make-believe, whether it was swashbuckling pirates, or cops and robbers, Archie would do anything to help keep Finn's mind off of his reality. It's how the two became best friends.

"Why do all the woman I love, leave me?" Finn cut through Archie's thoughts like a knife.

"Wh-what do you mean, Finn?"

"You know what I'm talking about, Arch. Don't pretend like you don't. My mom left me. My gran left. And… Now Rae. Is it something I do? Am I not good enough?"

The question knocked all the air out of Archie's lungs. He could wring Rae's neck for this.

"Finn, don't be thick. You know that's not true at all. You're well more than good enough, mate."

"Then, why? What happened? I love her, Arch. I love her. How could she do this to me?"

His voice broke a little on that last sentence as he choked back another sob. It took all Archie had not to cry with him.

"Did she say anything to you?"

"I don't think she's my biggest fan at the moment, mate."

"Why?"

"S'nothing that can't be fixed with some old fashioned Uncle Archie charm." He quipped, which made Finn chuckle. Good. At least he not completely broken.

"I don't know, Arch. Things have been rocky since college started but I just thought… I don't know… I thought it was the stress of school, maybe. Not me."

"What did she say, exactly?"

Finn took a deep breath, steadying himself to replay one of the worst moments of his young life. "She said, 'I don't want to go out. I just want to be friends.' And when I tried to ask her why, all she said was, 'It's my decision.' I tried to stop her but she just ran away from me. She wouldn't even talk to me."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, both wondering what this means for the gang. Finn didn't know if he could be around her and not be able to touch her or kiss her. Archie didn't know if she was ever going to talk to him again.

Finn was staring at his jacket when he spoke next. "She gave me this back. Actually, she basically threw it at me. I guess this means I have to give her, her stuff back as well, huh? God, that's gunna suck to have to give her Bowie back," he half joked.

Archie smiled as he stood up and reached his hand out to help his friend. "Come on, I'll make you a cuppa and we can listen to Bowie one more time before you have to give him back."

Finn took Archie's hand and dropped his jacket to the floor to bring his friend into a bone crushing bro-hug.

"Thanks, mate. For everything." Archie knew he didn't just mean tonight. As they released, Archie clamped his hands to Finn's shoulder and smiled, "That's what friends are for, mate."

And with that, Archie turned to the kitchen to make them both some tea, the whole time wondering if his friend was going to make it through this in one piece.


End file.
